Community Service Awards
On May 7, the Board of Education meeting, Manhasset High School honored 94 students who exemplify a life of service.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes United States citizens and lawfully admitted permanent residents who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period—or cumulative hours over the course of a lifetime.
The yearly awards for young adults, age 16 to 25, begins at bronze, 100 to 174 service hours, silver, 175 to 249 hours, and gold, 250 or more hours, for the year. Teens, age 14 to 15, earn a gold award for 100 or more hours.
Here is the list of students who earned the Presidential Award: Benjamin Ackert, Dominique Alcamo, Courtney Aspinall, Michael Bakshandeh, Kellyann Bock, Peter Boyadjian, Elizabeth Boyle, Maria Budis, Jillian Calderone, Michelle Cao,Olivia Cataldo, Grace Catlett, Christine Casazza, Cynthia Chen, Julien Cheng, Andrew Cronson, Sophia D’angelo, William Delaney, Gregory Dellis, Kayla Deosaran, Amanda Devito, Ethan Dilmanian, Spencer Fanuka, Michael Gabriel, Skyler Gaccione, Lindsay Gallo, Meredith Gallo, Jack Geismar, Alexander Haber, Claudine Haigian, Daniela Haigian, Elizabeth Hannan, Emma Hanley, Kenar Haratunian, Elin Hu, Julia Henry, Ny’shiem Inmon, Elizabeth Jones, Kalliopi Kapetanos, Armen Kassabian, Kimberly Kiess, Caitlyn Kim, Grace Kim, Nicholas LaRocca, Tyler Lew, Adonia Low, Rachel Lu, Tiana Lui, Christine Maccaro, Nicholas Magliulo, Paige Mantikas, Joseph Meyer, Steven Meyer, Sharina Mirpuri, Lauren Moschitta, Elena Mouhlas, Bailey McBride, Danielle Nicosia, Caitlin O’Connor, Caroline O’Connor, Christina-Ashley O’Donnell, Nolan Parisi, Lucinda Pavlovich, Alexandra Penzi, John Petrakis, Harry Petropoulos, Daniel Quinn, Benjamin Rupp, Alyssa Sanders, Michelle Sciarrino, Lily Sheridan, Madelyn Sheridan, Justine Spina, Lauren Suga, Sophia Takvorian, Lindsay Terjesen, Jessica Thalheimer, George Theodosopoulos, Jenna Tishler. Vincent Tomaselli, Gabriella Tranchina, Emily Treacy, Joseph Tripodoro, Nicholas Trotti, Isabel Vigliotti, Alec Wadhwani, Jamie Weiss, Jack Wesson, William Wong, Jinyu Wu, Ryan Wu, Paraskevi Xenophontos, Sara Zakrinski and Vanessa Zhang.
Carla Vasquez Honored
Carla Vasquez was honored recently with the George Farber Outstanding Student Award. She earned the award for her talent, commitment, honesty, diligence, compassion and high moral standards. Carla received the award during a ceremony at the Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset.
Vasquez is a Manhasset UFSD student in the Nassau BOCES English Literacy Alternative and Teenage Parenting programs. She arrived in this country from El Salvador over a year ago, with a very special purpose in mind—to build a brighter future for herself and her unborn child. Today, Vasquez is the mother of a one-year-old boy and is achieving her goal. She has an above 90 average and is excelling in all her classes, especially parenting and child development.
With all of her pressing responsibilities, Vasquez still makes time to help others, acting as a “buddy” to new students. She helps them get to know the building and makes them feel comfortable. She helps them with class assignments, as well as in the nursery with their babies. In what spare time she has, Carla volunteers as a religious education instructor at her local church.
“Carla works extremely hard both in and out of class,” wrote award nominator, Guidance Counselor Juan Gonzalez. “Beyond her academic achievements, she is working toward a career in cosmetology. Carla is determined to succeed, so she can create a better life for her son.”
Outstanding students have been earning this prestigious award since 2007. It currently stands as a memorial to former Nassau BOCES Board President George Farber, whose passion for improving the lives of students at Nassau BOCES was only surpassed by his love and care for them. Farber was the longest-serving board member in Nassau County, having served from 1971 to 2009.
“The students we honor today were chosen by their teachers, mentors and administrators for their remarkable achievements,” Susan Bergtraum, Vice President of the Nassau BOCES Board, said at the awards ceremony. “They have demonstrated passion, drive, outstanding talents, exemplary character and a commitment to community and school improvement.”
